Biological Imperatives; or, do you think this cow looks sexy?
Today, this cow had a calf. She is the first of the cow herd to calve. These cows shouldn't start calving until March 28. This is why she did:
People in the cow calf business like to think they can control both when, and for how long, their bull/bulls get to be with the herd. Usually these decisions are related to what they think the weather will be like, or how much new green grass they will have, or how busy they will be with their farming. We like having control, so our cows calve when we want them to.
Bulls, on the other hand, have a different herd management philosophy. They want the cows to calve as soon as possible. They want all cows - yours, mine, everyone's - to calve using their own specific genetic code. This is their job, and they are quite good at it, and they'll just take it from here, thank you very kindly.
Ranchers are always saying, "Not yet, big guy. Just simmer down." Meanwhile, the bulls stomp around bellowing, "Now? How about now? No really, now? How about now?"
A bull in summer is nothing if not a 2000 lb. muscled mass of biological imperatives wearing a superhero's cape of testosterone.
Last summer, I was planning to put my bull with my cows on June 15, for 50 days, and by doing so I would be calving for approximately 50 days starting March 30. My neighbor's bull thought this was a poorly conceived management decision.
On the morning of Sunday, May 31, 2009, this cow of mine was very sexy. Even though my neighbor Danny's bull was standing in a pasture surrounded by a couple hundred, perfectly good cows of his own, he kept in mind his biological imperatives. My cow looked really sexy, or rather she smelled really sexy and was wearing the most alluring hormonal perfume. She was in 'standing heat'; the part of the estrous cycle where she will acquiesce to being mounted. She was, apparently, irresistible.
She was so sexy, in fact, that he tore down a barbed wire fence to spend a couple of hours with her and the rest of my herd. He made an executive decision. He did what he is built to do. Besides, he knew he looked good in that cape.
His transgression was quickly found out by Gary, who never misses anything. We called Alvie and his son Josh, true cowboys who live nearby. They rode over the hill, cut the bull out of the herd, and after some convincing, escorted the bull home; while we moved our herd to another pasture. The bull immediately laid down, exhausted, but more than a little satisfied with himself.
He had succeeded. His calf was born this morning in a short-lived snowstorm. Gary, of course, saw him first. I drove out to check on him and tag him. I found him curled up out of the wind, deep in the tall grasses, as quiet as a secret.
Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 11:17PM
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